The Ashes of Aincrad
by Indefinite Arrow
Summary: After the events of Aincrad and Alfheim, Kirito and Asuna live their lives with ease. Broken up into three parts, the adventures of the duo in the real world. Rated M for future chapters. {KiritoxAsuna.}
1. Part One

_*Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to say that I do not own Sword Art Online or any other characters used in this piece of fanfiction. While the idea of owning anime/manga/light novels sounds pretty cool, I'm not up to that particular task. Thank you for your consideration.*_

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_"__If we make it back to the real world, I'll find you again. And fall in love with you again."_

_xxx_

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The day, Kazuto decided, was one of neverending happiness.

He had found Asuna. Against all odds, he found his chestnut haired beauty and was able to touch her milky skin. He was able to appreciate her hazel eyes, and was able to take in her frail features. Even though they were in a hospital, when he first saw her, Kazuto was afraid if he touched her, she'd shatter. She was everything. He had painted her on a pedestal, crafted her from glass, and admired her for everything she was worth. Which was more than Kazuto could ever hope to put into words.

And now, staring at the blank piece of paper, he was still at a loss for words.

Proposing to Asuna in the virtual world had been easy, and actually marrying her was even easier. When it came to reality, no amount of language classes or practice of charisma could assist him with his dilemma. Sure, they had proclaimed their love for each other many times before, but this was, without a doubt, dreadfully different. Even now, at the age he was, he found himself fumbling over words just as he did when he first met Asuna Yuuki. There was no way he'd be able to ever think of an appropriate way to formulate his love for her into words, not like this. So he tossed the paper aside, flew from his desk, and promptly left his apartment he shared with Klein. He was so anxious, he forgot a coat.

He stopped by the flower shop on the way to her house—all women loved flowers, or so Klein claimed—and decided upon a bouquet of perfect red roses. Unlike his teenage years, his new job with the virtual intelligence branch of government hardly left him strapped for cash. Nowadays, he wanted to spoil Asuna relentlessly, so a small boquet was nothing really, but it would have to do.

When he reached the home Asuna shared with her parents, the box that had felt so light before managed to feel ten times heavier. Shaking, he slowly knocked on the door, slightly relieved when her mother answered. Upon seeing him, shaken and with flowers in hand, a wide smile spread across her face. "It's about time, kid." She whispered to him, dragging him into their home. She let go of him to go search for her daughter, and came back in record time. "She's in the garden, darling. Do take your time with it, but not too long. You've kept us waiting for quite some time." Her chuckle set Kazuto's nerves on fire, but made him feel a bit better about the whole ordeal. He nodded and made his way down the familiar hallway that head had been down many times before—with and without Asuna's parental consent—finally finding his way to the garden.

Surely enough his beautiful girlfriend was there, watching the sunset mercifully on a mild autumn day. Her hair swayed ever so slightly in the light October breeze, and Kazuto briefly wondered why she wasn't wearing something warmer in the chilly autumn air. She was turned away from him, and hadn't heard him yet. She seemed to be tugging at the edge of her white blouse, an indicator that something was on her mind. Kazuto cleared his throat to grab her attention before reaching her, causing her to jump and spin around to face him. The sudden reaction had caused her hair to travel with her and settle on her back, giving Kazuto a plentiful whiff of her perfume. It was a cross of vanilla and honeysuckle, the same she'd always worn. The same way she'd smelled back when they first met. Despite the cold atmosphere, Asuna seemed happy to see him.

"Kazuto," She said, her words rolling off her tongue like honey. "I've missed you."

Kazuto smiled, "You saw me yesterday."

Asuna threw her arms around him, warming his cold body. "Every minute away from you feels like an eternity!"

Kazuto leaned forward to kiss her head before fully embracing her, albeit a bit awkwardly with the flowers in his hand. The feeling of her petite frame against his firm one was something he was not quite ready to part with, but he unwrapped himself from her anyways. "Asuna, these are for you," he said, placing the flowers in her hands. Before he had a chance to continue, his girlfriend squealed in delight.

"Oh, Kir-Kazuto, these are perfect! I'll go find a vase to put these in, I'll be right ba-"

Kazuto grabbed her wrist before she could leave, causing a look of confusion to spread across her delicate features. "Kazuto?"

"Asuna, you know that I love you. I love you more than I fully understand." He stared into the neverending hazel pools that held the soul that he adored. "These past few years have been amazing, better than our time together...back then..." He lowered his eyes when he mentioned their brief, but lovely marriage back in a deadly, virtual world. Sensing his distress, Asuna took his hand, encouraging him to continue. "And I just... I can't bear to be apart from you. I want to spend this life with you, the next life with you, and whatever comes after that with you. I want to wake up next to you, take care of you, and I want to cherish you until the very day that I part from this world."

"Kirito..." Asuna whispered, his old nickname dancing on her lips. She was the only one who was still allowed to call him that, the only thing remaining from Sword Art Online. The place where he had met the angel in front of him. Her slender fingers wrapped themselves tighter against his. "Are... are you..."

Kazuto took that moment to drop to one knee in front of her, one hand in hers, the other in his pocket. "I was lost before I met you, Asuna. My life, my existence, it's all because of you. I am here because you guided me." The box materialized in his hand, pulling the lid off and revealing a shiny, diamond ring inside. "Asuna, will you continue to guide me? Will you marry me?"

Kazuto thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest. He could hardly steady his hands enough to continue to hold on to the box. Thankfully, Asuna gave him a very quick answer.

"Are you serious? Of course I'll marry you! Of course I will!" Tears of joy ran down her face as she tackled him into the well manicured grass. Her body shook on top of him as she laughed, her skin glowing with excitement. Kazuto smiled, wrapping his arms around her, trying to comprehend if this was real or not. When their joy subsided, Asuna rolled over, her hand still entwined with her fiancee's.

"I promised that I'd find you, and that I'd fall in love with you again." She breathed, facing him. "I love you."

In that moment, it was as if everything had fell into place. The sky seemed clearer, the air seemed lighter, and the air seemed warmer. Kazuto knew, in that moment, that he had achieved all that he had strived for, and this moment, this exact moment, was the reason why he had put on the Nerve Gear that fateful day all those years ago. Asuna was the reason.

Kazuto smiled, pulling his lover closer to him. "I love you, too."

xxx

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_Thank you for taking time to read this! It's my first contribution to the SAO fandom, and I don't plan on it being my last. I love these two and I can't wait to write the next two parts to their little love story._


	2. Part Two

Before we begin, I'd like to say thank you for the reviews. Also, sorry that this took so long.

-Arrow

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PART TWO

"Life isn't so bad. It's not so bad." -Nishida

xxx

The night was cold.

At least, Kazuto admitted, it was colder than usual. Suddenly, he wasn't walking down a street in Japan. He was on the mountain, with Lisabeth—the snow was freezing him to the bone, the soft flakes below him that had collected over time soaked through his boots. In the distance, there was a roar, the telltale sign of a dragon. He had to get the ore for his new sword, he decided. Even with the petite girl slowing him down, he'd have to get it. Tugging at his black coat, he trudged on through the snow storm, and suddenly he was falling, falling into blackness that would he knew would eventually swallow him whole.

Kazuto shook his head, attempting to force the images from his mind. This was not Aincrad, this was Japan. This was not a mountain, it was the familiar path to Asuna's home. This was not a fight for his life, rather, it was a fight to live his life.

He recalled the voicemail Asuna had left for him earlier that evening. He had been in the bath when she called, and whilst listening to it he thought he'd need another one just to ease his nerves_. "My parents won't be home this weekend; they're traveling to America for a business meeting regarding the closing of my father's company. Something about signing the rights over to Americans? I'm not sure. I was curious, if perhaps you'd like to spend the night with me? Come over any time, I'll be awake."_ Her soft voice had said in to the phone, _"I'll see you soon."_

It was obvious that Kazuto and Asuna had been much more physical in their relationship since escaping the virtual world. They simply were never sated, obsessed with the idea that they could actually touch each other. While Asuna had been able to caress Kirito in Sword Art Online, it was nothing compared to the real thing. The gentle touch of her fingers against his skin was enough to set his every nerve on fire, and he always managed to cause a shiver down her spine. They were meant for each other, he knew this. Their bodies reacted towards each other like it was what they were programmed to do. Maybe they were, and he'd get the same reaction from any other girl. However, it was nicer to think otherwise.

Regardless of their newfound love for exploring each other's bodies, Kazuto and Asuna had yet to have sex whatsoever within the two years of their escape. When Kazuto's eighteenth birthday rolled around the corner, Asuna tried to surprise him by sticking her hand down his pants, but Sugu had walked in to his room before they could really continue. On the same note, Kazuto had managed to slip his hand up Asuna's shirt and tease her supple skin many times, but they always seemed to get interrupted by a family member, friend, or some other annoyance. This invitation was an opportunity, one Kazuto was currently shaking over. It wasn't like Kazuto wasn't used to his girlfriend's body—he'd seen plenty of it virtually and in the real world—he just simply didn't want to mess anything up. He knew Asuna was terrified of this sort of thing, and didn't want to break the fragile mentality she had built up around this topic, especially after the events of her rescue from Alfheim. If he shattered what mattered most, there'd be no point in anything anymore.

In Kazuto's mind, sex was extremely similar to a survival skill in any video game. You built up speed and stamina before you could gain a level, and you couldn't experience the rest of the game the way you wanted to until you did. Your skill could drain, but once it regenerated you could always try again. While admittedly it obviously did not work that way in real life, Kazuto found it easier to compartmentalize information like this in to similar categories until he discovered a way to deal with it. Unfortunately, he didn't really have time for that sort of thing.

Upon reaching the door to Asuna's home, a memory forced itself into the front of Kazuto's mind. He and Asuna, in her home, surrounded by artful interior and good food. He watched the vision warp into a boss battle from Sword Art Online, and suddenly Heathcliff was there. Everything appeared fragmented, like his experience from Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online had been stitched together to torment him. Asuna being raised by chains, her top torn off by a horrible man he'd wish he'd never remember. Asuna smiling as she disappeared into a thousand tiny pieces of data. The door, he realized, looked like the one that had been the entrance to Asuna's home in Selmburg, and it reminded him of every memory tied to Asuna. Despite intense mental rehabilitation, he still relapsed now and again. It just so happened that one of those times was now, outside his girlfriend's house at midnight. No big deal.

It was so cold, Kazuto could see his ragged breath in the air. Trying to steady his shaking body, he reached for the door for support, accidently hitting it much harder than intended. He finally gave up before sliding to the ground, his head in his hands and in between his knees. The images were too violent, too frightening, and too much to weigh on his nineteen year old shoulders. He didn't notice the door open, and barely registered the pale fingers curl around his own.

"Kazuto..." Asuna's voice floated gently above him, something that was much more magnificent than his worth. "Kazuto, come inside, this is real. We're real." The agony in her voice easily told a story that said she had seen this before, and probably wouldn't be the last time she saw it again. Her chestnut hair fell past her shoulders and whipped around her as she led her boyfriend inside her warm home, making him sit on a couch that was too soft and velvety for Kazuto to ever afford. His episode had not yet subsided, so Asuna took his black jacket off of him, laying it on the side of the chair across the room. Her footsteps on the hardwood floor barely made any noise as she padded over to him, once again taking his hands into hers. "Kazuto, look at me."

Kazuto could barely muster enough strength to lift his head, let alone meet Asuna's eyes. Sighing, she placed a palm on both of his cheeks, causing him move towards her. "Asuna," Kazuto whispered, leaning in to her. "You're here."

Asuna smiled, stroking his charcoal colored hair. "Yes, I'm here."

Kazuto sighed before recovering from his episode. This was not out of the norm for the two, Kazuto forgetting that he was actually still human and in the real world. Sure, both still indulged in VRMMOS from time to time, but Aincrad was still a fresh wound in the back of their minds. While Asuna usually just ended up staring off in to space in her own little world, ending her sequence in tears, Kazuto forgot about the real world all together. It was quite tragic, really, putting each other back together, while the threat of shattering all over again loomed over their heads. It was if surviving in Sword Art Online wasn't enough, because they had to do it in the real world, too.

"I'm sorry." Kazuto managed to sputter, his head spinning. "This has been happening too often."

Asuna smiled and shook her head. "I'm here for you, you know. I'm always here for you."

Her response caused Kazuto to rest his forehead against hers, a gesture not unfamiliar between the couple. "You're cold," Asuna stated, breaking the silence. "You're so cold."

"I'm sorry." Was all Kazuto could manage, pulling away from his girlfriend. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

The situation, in Kazuto's mind, was unbearably awkward. Here they were, alone in Asuna's home, and she was commenting on how cold his pale skin was. Kazuto clenched his fist. He still had trouble communicating the right ideas to his girlfriend, even after everything they'd been through. In the end, Kazuto was just like every other tongue tied teenaged boy. He barely even noticed that Asuna had moved from the sofa and was standing above him.

"Come on." She commanded, tugging at his hand. "Follow me."

Kazuto didn't even bother putting up a protest, knowing it would be futile. He simply followed his girlfriend to a white wooden door. She used her free hand to open it, leading him inside. While it didn't surprise him, Kazuto could easily admit that he didn't understand why they were in her bathroom. The white porcelain and ivory painted walls assaulted his eyesight, but the one thing that pulled his attention away from the modern décor was the gigantic bath tub in the middle of the room. The walls on either side of it held windows that overlooked the garden courtyard inside the walls Yuuki compound. Small candles adorned the sides of the tub, varying in different shades and colors. A few were lit, but most weren't. Asuna turned around, but didn't quite meet Kazuto's eyes with her own.

"You're cold, so I thought that maybe… we could bathe together."

Kazuto's eyes widened, and suddenly his heart began hammering in his chest. Every inch of his body screamed at him to say yes, and hands ached at the prospect of his girlfriend's pale skin under his. "Do… do you want that?" He breathed, silently hoping her response would be positive.

"I've wanted something like this for a while," Asuna's thin cheeks painted themselves a collection of reds and pinks before continuing, "I've wanted you, really, for a while." She lifted her arms above her head, and Kazuto didn't hesitate for an invitation. He gently removed her cotton sweater from her body, revealing nothing but a bright pink, lacy bra underneath. "I just need to know if you want me in the same way."

Kazuto's breath hitched in his throat as Asuna's fingertips made their way under his tee-shirt and teased his abdomen. Her skin glimmered in the bright lights reflecting off of the porcelain in the room, causing a darker side of him to stir. He had never wanted another human being so much in his entire life. Suddenly, he grabbed her so forcefully that the small braid in her hair came undone, not losing a step in the momentum. He attacked his girlfriend's neck with kisses, devouring every inch of skin she allowed him to. The action was a bit out of character for him, but right then, in that moment of weakness, it didn't matter.

In the middle of things, Asuna managed to wriggle her hands between their bodies, undoing the buttons on Kazuto's jeans with ease. The action alone caused chills to run down Kazuto's spine, forcing him back to reality. He paused his attack long enough to reach over and switch the tub's jets on so it would fill with water, and looked back towards at Asuna, who had a devious look on her face. Before he could ask, his girlfriend took the opportunity to remove his shirt as well before smashing her pink lips onto his. Kazuto smiled into the kiss before tugging at Asuna's leggings, which she promptly removed. "Now this. Hardly. Seems. Fair." She breathed between kisses. This caused Kazuto to roll his eyes and finish Asuna's handiwork from earlier, earning a quiet sigh from the petite woman. She then turned around, lifting her hair from her shoulders. "Here, c-could you help me out?"

The sight before him was nerve-wracking. Asuna's naked flesh faced him, covered only by her matching undergarments. Hesitantly, he forced his fingers to unclasp her bra. Asuna's shoulder blades were extremely clear now, the small piece of fabric finally removed from her body. Kazuto forced himself to continue breathing as Asuna slowly descended into the bath, the water enveloping her. He swore all the blood in his body ran cold when she gestured for him to join her.

Discarding whatever was left of his clothing, Kazuto slid into the hot water, the liquid making a satisfying _"swish"_ sound as he settled on the side of the tub. A very pink-faced and bright-eyed Asuna looked him up and down, causing it to be his turn for his face to flush. Nonchalantly, he averted his eyes and sighed. "Hi."

Asuna smiled, raising a hand near her mouth and giggled. "Hi, Kazuto."

Kazuto felt his knees grow weak and his fingers twitch with anticipation, but swallowed back his anxiety. "I got a new job."

Asuna's expression changed, her eyes growing wide. "Really, doing what?" She knew what he had hoped to do, but Kazuto didn't really share his career aspirations too in depth with her.

A small smile plastered itself on Kazuto's face. "I-I work in the virtual intelligence branch of Japan's—"

He didn't have time to finish before Asuna threw her arms around him, floating slightly above his very bare lap. He nuzzled her lips in to his neck. "That's great, Kazuto! I'm so proud of you." She pulled away ever so slightly, enough so Kazuto could see the honeyed look in her eyes. "We should celebrate."

At this point, Kazuto forced himself to stop looking at the window and the wall it adorned to meet his girlfriend's eyes. "What do you mean?"

It was Asuna's turn to not meet his gaze. "There's no real way to avoid saying it bluntly, so I suppose I'll just show you."

In Kazuto's mind, sex was extremely similar to a survival skill in any video game. You built up speed and stamina before you could gain a level, and you couldn't experience the rest of the game the way you wanted to until you did. Your skill could drain, but once it regenerated you could always try again.

That idea itself was nothing compared to actually slipping in to Asuna, feeling her tighten around him. That idea itself was nothing compared to how warm the bath became, or the sound of their ragged breathing echoing off the marble floor. None of Kazuto's fantasies would ever live up to this. Sex with Asuna was, without a doubt, a new, and wonderful experience.

And, he found, it was much harder to run out of stamina in the real world than in the virtual one.


End file.
